Kyle Busch, who won the NASCAR Cup Series twice in his career, is already considered an icon. But that doesn’t mean the 40-year-old has lost the will to win and contribute to his legacy. However, he has been struggling for two and a half seasons.
Well, it’s not that Busch didn’t come close to winning during this lull. However, none of those opportunities translated into a visit to Victory Lane. As 2026 approaches, there is hope that things might finally change.
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However, a veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockras recently said he was skeptical that Busch would win a race this upcoming season. Last year, Pockrass predicted that Busch would take the win, but that didn’t happen.
Instead, the No. 8 driver finished the season 21st in the standings. Busch had finished the 2024 campaign 20th. Based on this experience, it seems that Pockrass is now tempering his expectations.
*”Obviously, new crew chief with Jim Pullman, where will RCR be? I’ll say no (race win), this year,”* Pockrass said on *Beating and Banging. *
“I was wrong last year. Maybe I’ll be wrong this year, but I don’t have as much faith this year as I did last year. I think it’s almost a little bit of rebuilding, and we’ll see how close they are,” he added.
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With Busch’s contract at Richard Childress Racing scheduled to expire at the end of 2027, the veteran journalist predicted that fans could see the 40-year-olds switching teams. *”I think so. I certainly think so (that he could eventually leave RCR), and it might depend on where there are a lot of drivers, more than half the field, who don’t have a contract for 2027,” *said Pockrass.
Busch, with Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman will see their contracts expire in 2027. Their next moves will likely dictate how the rest of the Cup Series grid looks.
Busch’s tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing was the best phase of his career. He won two Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019 while also leading the series in wins. However, since joining RCR, which initially seemed like a perfect solution, things have gone downhill.
Mark Martin blames RCR for Busch’s struggles
After winning three races in the first half of the 2023 regular season, Busch’s struggles intensified. More often than not, he encountered problems with his car or with his pit crew.
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Veteran driver Mark Martin believes the problem is not with Busch, but rather with his team. In an interview with Charlie Marlow, Martin said he understood that the RCR team was trying, but their performance on the track was still not up to what it should be.
Busch has influence over how the car is set up, so he could bear some responsibility for the lack of performance. However, the main fault lies with the team, according to Martin.
Busch now sits so far forward that he has to overexert himself every time. Busch does it too. But when he was within reach of a first place finish, the way he pushed his car proved that enough was too much.
Busch’s previous runs in front of RCR have shown that he is much better than his performances the last two years. All he needs is better equipment and machines that can be pushed to win races.
The position ‘I don’t have faith’: Kyle Busch predicts another winless season per NASCAR Insider appeared first on The rush to sport.
